I've been feeling more productive lately. I've gotten out of my every afternoon nap habit and I've actually been getting things done, which is nice.
I figured out how to make a sewing machine cover, without directions or a pattern. It's not perfect, but it serves it's purpose. My sewing machine, however, has problems. Granted, I don't really know what I'm doing, but half the time it works fine, and half the time the bottom half of the stitches are WAAAYYYY messed up. I put the bobbin in the same way every time and I even tried oiling it, but it'll start making a funny noise sometimes, and then I know when I turn the fabric over there's going to be thread everywhere. It's frustrating. I'm going to try to find someplace in town to look at it so I can attempt to make the ring slings.
We "figured" out our taxes last night. I was pretty bummed. Last year we had to pay in around $250 for federal taxes, so I switched my exemptions to 0 from 1 hoping that this year we'd get a refund. We entered all Mark's stuff in first, and it showed us getting $1185 back... and then we entered in my stuff, and it showed that we owe $740. I almost cried. We still don't fully understand how to do our state taxes either. Since Mark is military, he doesn't have to pay IL state taxes. (We still both claim IL residency since we still have IL drivers licenses and he doesn't have to pay state tax.) We *think* that I don't have to pay state tax either since I'm his dependant, but we're not 100% sure on that. So this online program said that I had to pay IL $399 in state taxes, and I was only getting $179 refund from OK, even though I paid $307. Taxes are so confusing... and annoying.
Mark started IFF today. He's been out of the training environment for 411 days now, so he's very excited (and a little nervous) to be back in. He told me today that they're not flying at all next week though, because they're moving into a new squadron. Hopefully they'll be able to make up that time and still graduate on time. If they don't, I'm not sure what's going to happen with our trip going home. As of right now, he's supposed to graduate April 1st. But if that gets pushed back at all, we're probably not going to make it home in time for our own baby shower, which means we might not end up going home at all, and just trying to move to Phoenix earlier if possible. I hate the unpredictability of the military. I like to have a plan, and the military makes it impossible to plan sometimes. We most likely won't know until the week before if his graduation from IFF is pushed back, so I don't know what we'll do about the baby shower if we find out that late. The invitations will already be mailed and the whole thing already set up. No wonder I have high blood pressure.
Speaking of blood pressure, I got a blood pressure machine today at Wal-Mart, so I can check it at home. It's 126/73 at home..... Much better than the 155/91 at the doctors office. I'm going to keep a log to make sure it really is white coat syndrome vs. hypertension.
Sadie Roo gets her stitches out on Friday, and her last antibiotic pill is tomorrow. I'm glad to have that all behind us.
More later...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
25 random things about me
Write 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 12 people to be tagged. Tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you (or I think you might fill it out - or you tagged me on this at some other point.
1. I actually met Mark in Germany for the first time, along with his parents and one of his brothers.
2. I took tennis, swimming, gymnastics, piano, ballet, tap, and jazz lessons growing up, along with a few horseback riding lessons.
3. I never played any sports in school, although I would have loved to be on the volleyball team.
4. Bad grammar is one of my biggest pet peeves. I cannot STAND it when people say "ain't".
5. I have played 3 instruments - the piano, the hand bells, the flute. I would love to learn to play the violin next.
6. I love off-Broadway theater. That was kind of my mom and my thing to do when I was growing up. We saw a bunch of plays. Luckily Mark likes theater too.
7. I feel prettier when my nails are painted.
8. My favorite city in the US is Washington DC. I've been there about 5-6 times, and it gets better every time.
9. I'm a firm believer that the true way to tour a city is by bicycle. I've done bike tours in Montreal, Washington DC, San Diego, and Paris, and that was my favorite part of visiting most of those cities.
10. I think burning candles make houses feel more "homey".
11. I have serious issues with my weight, and this pregnancy isn't helping things at all.
12. I think I would like to go back to school eventually and get a masters in sociology.
13. I love to cook, but I hate doing the dishes.
14. I've always wanted a pet cow, like Norman in City Slickers.
15. Sometimes I really miss my horse. I wish I hadn't had to sell him.
16. I think I'm entirely too addicted to reality TV. This stuff is so mindless, and yet I can't stop watching.
17. Sometimes I worry that I'm going to be too strict of a mom. I have high standards for myself, so hopefully I don't have too high of standards for my kids.
18. Half the time I feel like these blogs are a waste of time, since most of the people they're emailed to don't take the time to respond ever. I always try to comment when I read other people's blogs, just so they know someone's reading it and cares enough to respond.
19. I called Mark my "pretend boyfriend" for a good 6 months before we actually started dating.
20. I hope my dogs still mean as much to me after we have kids as they do now.
21. I have my motorcycle license and I really miss riding them with my dad.
22. I worked at my dad's quick lube business for 4-5 years. I can change the oil in my car, and check the filters and fluids and even change the transmission filter if I had to.
23. I much prefer driving a stick over an automatic, although I was afraid to learn to drive a stick at first.
24. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 21 years old because I'm terrified of needles.
25. After Mark moved to Montgomery, GA and I was in Milwaukee, WI, I decided one night after work that I wanted to see him. So I got in the car around 9pm and drive 12 hours straight and got to him around 9am and ended up staying down there with him for a week.
Here are my tags. This is harder than it looks!
Billie R, Elyse M, mom, Erika W, Emily K, Liz D, Amber K, Jenn B, Kim H, Michelle O, Cathy L, Rachel G, Tricia S,
1. I actually met Mark in Germany for the first time, along with his parents and one of his brothers.
2. I took tennis, swimming, gymnastics, piano, ballet, tap, and jazz lessons growing up, along with a few horseback riding lessons.
3. I never played any sports in school, although I would have loved to be on the volleyball team.
4. Bad grammar is one of my biggest pet peeves. I cannot STAND it when people say "ain't".
5. I have played 3 instruments - the piano, the hand bells, the flute. I would love to learn to play the violin next.
6. I love off-Broadway theater. That was kind of my mom and my thing to do when I was growing up. We saw a bunch of plays. Luckily Mark likes theater too.
7. I feel prettier when my nails are painted.
8. My favorite city in the US is Washington DC. I've been there about 5-6 times, and it gets better every time.
9. I'm a firm believer that the true way to tour a city is by bicycle. I've done bike tours in Montreal, Washington DC, San Diego, and Paris, and that was my favorite part of visiting most of those cities.
10. I think burning candles make houses feel more "homey".
11. I have serious issues with my weight, and this pregnancy isn't helping things at all.
12. I think I would like to go back to school eventually and get a masters in sociology.
13. I love to cook, but I hate doing the dishes.
14. I've always wanted a pet cow, like Norman in City Slickers.
15. Sometimes I really miss my horse. I wish I hadn't had to sell him.
16. I think I'm entirely too addicted to reality TV. This stuff is so mindless, and yet I can't stop watching.
17. Sometimes I worry that I'm going to be too strict of a mom. I have high standards for myself, so hopefully I don't have too high of standards for my kids.
18. Half the time I feel like these blogs are a waste of time, since most of the people they're emailed to don't take the time to respond ever. I always try to comment when I read other people's blogs, just so they know someone's reading it and cares enough to respond.
19. I called Mark my "pretend boyfriend" for a good 6 months before we actually started dating.
20. I hope my dogs still mean as much to me after we have kids as they do now.
21. I have my motorcycle license and I really miss riding them with my dad.
22. I worked at my dad's quick lube business for 4-5 years. I can change the oil in my car, and check the filters and fluids and even change the transmission filter if I had to.
23. I much prefer driving a stick over an automatic, although I was afraid to learn to drive a stick at first.
24. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 21 years old because I'm terrified of needles.
25. After Mark moved to Montgomery, GA and I was in Milwaukee, WI, I decided one night after work that I wanted to see him. So I got in the car around 9pm and drive 12 hours straight and got to him around 9am and ended up staying down there with him for a week.
Here are my tags. This is harder than it looks!
Billie R, Elyse M, mom, Erika W, Emily K, Liz D, Amber K, Jenn B, Kim H, Michelle O, Cathy L, Rachel G, Tricia S,
22w5d appt
We had an OB appt today... It was kind of disappointing. The baby is fine, so no worries there. She's been using my bladder as a trampoline lately, which is slightly annoying, considering I got up and peed 5, yes, 5 times last night between 11pm-7am. When we saw her on the u/s, she's laying sideways in a piked position though, so maybe she's actually punching me in the bladder, I'm not sure. But I always feel her movement way down low, underneath my belly. Her heart rate was 161bpm, and everything looked good. We got one picture of her, but it's really not that good. Oh well. I'll post it later.
My blood pressure was 155/91. The dr wants me to stop by base sometime this week to get it taken there. I think we're just going to get a blood pressure machine so I can start checking it at home, since hypertension runs in my family. It makes me worry every time I go to the dr and see it that high. They took it again as we were leaving, and it was still much higher than it should be - 149/90 I think... Stresses me out.
However, the appointment didn't really help my blood pressure situation... We talked to him about how to find a more "natural friendly" dr in AZ, and his answers disappointed us both. He said we should focus on finding a good doctor and then worrying about delivering naturally after that (which I can agree with). He went on to say that his c-section rate is around 45%, and that is typical of this area. (OMG!!! I thought he was kidding at first, but he wasn't.) And THEN he said you basically get to chose between a c-section or them using the vacuum/forceps, because apparently here in OK babies can't physically be born without some sort of doctor intervention.... I think at that point I was like "I hope you're not planning on taking my blood pressure again because I can guarantee it's not going to be any lower." He said if people focused half as much on being parents as they do researching the birth process that things would be much better and that at the kids HS graduation it's not going to matter if she was delivered vaginally or by c-section. I agree with that to an extent, but I also found it kind of insulting - like he was saying I needed to just forget about the birth because that, according to him, was the easy part, and I needed to just go with the flow. I understand that the birth isn't much in the grand scheme of raising a child, but why shouldn't I still educate myself on what options are out there, and why can't I have a plan in mind, even if it goes all the hell once the time comes, and why do I have to chose between a c-section and using the vacuum/forceps?? I was just really frustrated hearing what he had to say, and it almost made me glad that he's not going to be the one delivering our baby if that's his viewpoint on everything. He also contradicted himself some by saying that in 95% of births he's probably not even needed, and that it's the 5% of them you have to worry about. Well if your c-section rate is 45%, that seems like you're needed in closer to 50% of them.... He said in August 2008, he had 10 deliveries and all of them were c-sections. Ugh. Oh, and he said that he could think of better things to spend our money on instead of hiring a doula.
So now that I didn't get many answers from him, I'm still trying to figure out how to ask questions to potential OB's to figure out if they're pro-natural births or if they have a 45% c-section rate also. It all just stresses me out. No wonder I have high blood pressure.
Oh, and she's still a girl. We didn't see a wiener. Thank God.
My blood pressure was 155/91. The dr wants me to stop by base sometime this week to get it taken there. I think we're just going to get a blood pressure machine so I can start checking it at home, since hypertension runs in my family. It makes me worry every time I go to the dr and see it that high. They took it again as we were leaving, and it was still much higher than it should be - 149/90 I think... Stresses me out.
However, the appointment didn't really help my blood pressure situation... We talked to him about how to find a more "natural friendly" dr in AZ, and his answers disappointed us both. He said we should focus on finding a good doctor and then worrying about delivering naturally after that (which I can agree with). He went on to say that his c-section rate is around 45%, and that is typical of this area. (OMG!!! I thought he was kidding at first, but he wasn't.) And THEN he said you basically get to chose between a c-section or them using the vacuum/forceps, because apparently here in OK babies can't physically be born without some sort of doctor intervention.... I think at that point I was like "I hope you're not planning on taking my blood pressure again because I can guarantee it's not going to be any lower." He said if people focused half as much on being parents as they do researching the birth process that things would be much better and that at the kids HS graduation it's not going to matter if she was delivered vaginally or by c-section. I agree with that to an extent, but I also found it kind of insulting - like he was saying I needed to just forget about the birth because that, according to him, was the easy part, and I needed to just go with the flow. I understand that the birth isn't much in the grand scheme of raising a child, but why shouldn't I still educate myself on what options are out there, and why can't I have a plan in mind, even if it goes all the hell once the time comes, and why do I have to chose between a c-section and using the vacuum/forceps?? I was just really frustrated hearing what he had to say, and it almost made me glad that he's not going to be the one delivering our baby if that's his viewpoint on everything. He also contradicted himself some by saying that in 95% of births he's probably not even needed, and that it's the 5% of them you have to worry about. Well if your c-section rate is 45%, that seems like you're needed in closer to 50% of them.... He said in August 2008, he had 10 deliveries and all of them were c-sections. Ugh. Oh, and he said that he could think of better things to spend our money on instead of hiring a doula.
So now that I didn't get many answers from him, I'm still trying to figure out how to ask questions to potential OB's to figure out if they're pro-natural births or if they have a 45% c-section rate also. It all just stresses me out. No wonder I have high blood pressure.
Oh, and she's still a girl. We didn't see a wiener. Thank God.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A lil bit of everything..
It's been kind of uneventful around here lately. Well there's been some drama with our insurance and finding drs in Phoenix, etc, but it stresses me out to think about it so I'll write about that some other time.
We finished our baby classes, which was nice. Now I need to finish all the books I ordered. Good thing we have a few months before she's due. Our next OB appt is Monday so hopefully we'll have more U/S pics to share after that.
Sadie is doing great. She's pretty much back to normal and her boo-boos are healing very well. Her eye looks MUCH better and we stopped giving her the Tramadol (pain meds) bc we don't think she needs it. Thank God.
I got ambitious this afternoon and repotted all my plants. They looked like they were getting a little big for their old pots, so I got new ones for them. That was fun. I like playing in the dirt.
Here are a few pictures I thought I'd share.
We got this stuff from Mark's family. I LOVE the little tiny hats! If the OB says to us on Monday "Oops, there's a wiener", I'm going to cry. I'm already hooked on the thought of having a girl. =)
Mainly playing with the camera - but this is my new plant. I don't know what it is though.
I love close up shots of flowers.
I thought Rooser's squinty face was hilarious in this picture. Proof to you all that she's doing MUCH better! (And that she ALWAYS wears her harness outside now when I take them out by myself. If Mark and I are both out there on opposite ends of the yard we don't worry as much.)
I thought this was a neat picture too.
All of my plants in their new pots (except for the red one.)
My suspicions of them outgrowing their old pots were accurate.... One of the other ones was even worse than this one. It had like an inch of dirt on the top and then the rest of the pot was just roots. I didn't know the roots "ate" the dirt...
21 weeks 4 days pregnant.
We gave Sadie her meds stuck in peanut butter, which she loved, and then we'd spend the next 5 minutes laughing at her bc of her crazy tongue!! It literally wraps all the way around her nose!
This was taken last Saturday I believe, so she looks a little forlorned here, but she's doing much better now.
We finished our baby classes, which was nice. Now I need to finish all the books I ordered. Good thing we have a few months before she's due. Our next OB appt is Monday so hopefully we'll have more U/S pics to share after that.
Sadie is doing great. She's pretty much back to normal and her boo-boos are healing very well. Her eye looks MUCH better and we stopped giving her the Tramadol (pain meds) bc we don't think she needs it. Thank God.
I got ambitious this afternoon and repotted all my plants. They looked like they were getting a little big for their old pots, so I got new ones for them. That was fun. I like playing in the dirt.
Here are a few pictures I thought I'd share.
We got this stuff from Mark's family. I LOVE the little tiny hats! If the OB says to us on Monday "Oops, there's a wiener", I'm going to cry. I'm already hooked on the thought of having a girl. =)
Mainly playing with the camera - but this is my new plant. I don't know what it is though.
I love close up shots of flowers.
I thought Rooser's squinty face was hilarious in this picture. Proof to you all that she's doing MUCH better! (And that she ALWAYS wears her harness outside now when I take them out by myself. If Mark and I are both out there on opposite ends of the yard we don't worry as much.)
I thought this was a neat picture too.
All of my plants in their new pots (except for the red one.)
My suspicions of them outgrowing their old pots were accurate.... One of the other ones was even worse than this one. It had like an inch of dirt on the top and then the rest of the pot was just roots. I didn't know the roots "ate" the dirt...
21 weeks 4 days pregnant.
We gave Sadie her meds stuck in peanut butter, which she loved, and then we'd spend the next 5 minutes laughing at her bc of her crazy tongue!! It literally wraps all the way around her nose!
This was taken last Saturday I believe, so she looks a little forlorned here, but she's doing much better now.Saturday, January 17, 2009
I can't help myself...
We went to a birthing class all day today. It was really interesting and we both learned a lot. It made both of us even more excited to go through the birthing experience and have this baby. I know Mark is going to be an amazing birth partner and I'm excited (WAAYY more excited than nervous) to see how it goes.
After the class I wanted to stop by Ross to look at more clothes for the baby. Mark gets annoyed when I want to buy her stuff, but I told him that I've heard from a few friends that they didn't get many clothes at their showers, so he'll be happy that I've been buying stuff all along so we don't have to buy her an entire wardrobe, along with all the other baby junk we'll need, at one time. Anyway, here are my purchases today. Mark picked out the one on the left/top, I picked out the one on the right/bottom. We're determined that she not have an all pink wardrobe. Some pink is fine, just not ALL pink.
On a side note, Sadie is doing much better. She's about 75% back to normal. Still moving slower than normal and she's very unsure about going outside still. She runs out with her tail between her legs and then pees/poops really quickly and then runs back inside. We think that she's (literally) not sure what hit her/ happened to her. This morning she actually played with Ollie some (she started the playing too) and was her normal self for a while, but it was short lived. You can tell she's still sore by the way she walks, but she hasn't been crying as much today, which is great. I am so thankful she's okay.
After the class I wanted to stop by Ross to look at more clothes for the baby. Mark gets annoyed when I want to buy her stuff, but I told him that I've heard from a few friends that they didn't get many clothes at their showers, so he'll be happy that I've been buying stuff all along so we don't have to buy her an entire wardrobe, along with all the other baby junk we'll need, at one time. Anyway, here are my purchases today. Mark picked out the one on the left/top, I picked out the one on the right/bottom. We're determined that she not have an all pink wardrobe. Some pink is fine, just not ALL pink.
On a side note, Sadie is doing much better. She's about 75% back to normal. Still moving slower than normal and she's very unsure about going outside still. She runs out with her tail between her legs and then pees/poops really quickly and then runs back inside. We think that she's (literally) not sure what hit her/ happened to her. This morning she actually played with Ollie some (she started the playing too) and was her normal self for a while, but it was short lived. You can tell she's still sore by the way she walks, but she hasn't been crying as much today, which is great. I am so thankful she's okay.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Update on Sadie (pictures included)
Sadie is one very lucky weina dog. I'm not sure it's possible for a 18lb animal to get hit by an SUV and come out with less injuries than she did.
I went and picked her up from the vet around 3:30pm yesterday and brought her home. She's moving very slowly and is definitely not acting like her normal self, but I guess that's to be expected when an animal is as banged up as she is.
Below is a picture of the damn roadrunner she was chasing. This this has been hanging around our house for a few months now. I don't like that bird.
I went and picked her up from the vet around 3:30pm yesterday and brought her home. She's moving very slowly and is definitely not acting like her normal self, but I guess that's to be expected when an animal is as banged up as she is.
Below is a picture of the damn roadrunner she was chasing. This this has been hanging around our house for a few months now. I don't like that bird.
I feel terrible that it happened still, and if I could quit replaying the whole ordeal in my head, I'd be good. Luckily Mark has been overly supportive and never once got mad at me about it. She was so excited to see him when he got home, and she just sat there and whimpered and wagged her tail. He spent a good 10 mins on the floor with her, checking her over and looking at all her boo-boos and petting her. And then they snuggled on the couch for most of the night, until we went to bed.
Mark got up with her twice last night because she was crying. We thought she might have to go potty, but it turned out both times she just wanted a drink. We think the meds she's on (pain killers and antibiotics) might be making her thirsty. Tonight we'll keep a bowl of water in our room for her.
She's been eating a little here and there, but she's usually a little live-wire and she's been pretty calm. She doesn't want to play yet, and she has trouble jumping up on the couch. I brought our steps for our bed out to the living room for her so she could get on the couch easier. Today she actually jumped up on the couch without the steps, so she must be feeling a little better. She seems really hesitant to go outside now though. I don't know if it's because we're putting their harnesses on now and putting them out on a leash or what. I think she'll be better by next week.
She's been sitting behind me whining for 20 mins now, so I'm going to go lay down with them for a bit until Mark gets home. Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate it and consider ourselves very blessed that this didn't have a worse outcome.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Our poor Sadie Roo
I got home from work today, and let our dogs out back so they could go potty, like I always do. We don't have a fenced in back yard bc we live in town home type things. Anyway, there's been this stupid road runner hanging around our house lately. I let the dogs out and Sadie took off after the stupid bird. I yelled for her to stop but she was all the all the way around the other side of our house. Oliver, thank God, just sat there. I chased after Sadie and was trying to figure out which direction she went, when I heard her get hit by an SUV. She was yelping and staring straight ahead. By the time I ran my fat ass over to her, she'd stopped yelping, but she was in a daze when I picked her up. The car kinda stopped but I just picked her up and ran back to our house. I was worried about Oliver coming around the side of the house too while I was inside. I went to let him in the back door (while still holding Sadie), and luckily, he was sitting there waiting for me.
I called Mark completely freaking out, telling him he needed to come home right now, and then changed that to meet me at the vet. I grabbed the dogs leashed and a phone book (to call the vet) and stuck Sadie and Ollie in the back seat and headed out. I couldn't remember the name of the damn vet so I called my co-worker who goes to the same vet and asked her to call the vet and tell them that Sadie got hit and I was on my way. I'm surprised she understood a word I said.
I got to the vet and my co-worker was waiting there for me, thank God, and she took Ollie in (who was along for the ride), while carried Sadie in. (On the car ride over, Sadie was sitting up and looking out the window, and seemed to be fairly okay, but one of her eyes started to swell closed some and one of her legs was bleeding.) When I tried to hand her to the vet tech, she tried to crawl back in my arms, which was a good sign, that at least she was with it enough to know what was going on.
After about 20 mins the vet got back with us (Mark got there right after I did), and said he thought she was going to be okay. She has a small cut on her back leg, which they might put 1-2 stitches in tomorrow, and her left eye was dialated, so he thought that could mean that she had a mild concussion or she could have bumped her eye. They're keeping her overnight for observation and I'm supposed to call in the morning for an update. Hopefully we'll be able to take her home tomorrow and she'll be fine. I'm just worried about the bump on her head... I don't know how serious it was, but the vet said he thought she'd be just fine, so that's what I'm trying to focus on.
I just feel so guilty - that I should have been able to stop her. And I think she got hit by the car when she was running back to me, because I was calling her since I didn't know where she went and she was coming towards me... I feel really bad about that. We got a stake with 2 cords to put in the back yard now, so the dogs won't go out unless they're on the cords from now on. It wasn't a problem before that damn road runner showed up, and this is the 2nd time they've chased it. Our next place is going to have a fenced in back yard, and hopefully Sadie will be around to play in it. She loves being outside.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Amazing..
My mom sent this to me in an email. These girls range in age from 6-8 years old. Watching things like this always make me cry. (And that happened before I was pg too!)
One of my main considerations right now..
Mark and I have been thinking a lot lately, about the type of birth experience we'd like to have. I'm currently reading Mind over Labor, and he's currently reading The Birth Book. I absolutely LOVE the fact that Mark is so involved in our research process and we spend HOURS discussing what we'd like to see happen and "what if this happens", "what if that happens", how he's going to be our "voice" during the birth process, etc. I know that this is just a precursor for how involved of a parent he'll be and that makes me fall in love with him more every day. We went to lunch with good friends on Sunday after church, and the guy said something along the lines of "I hear a c-section is the way to go these days". I was so proud of Mark for voicing what we were thinking about doing during the birth of our baby and talking about the stuff he'd learned in the books he's read, etc. He's not usually one to voice his opinion like that, so it was great to for me to see him do that and know that it's just as important to him as it is to me. He said afterwards though, that he hoped he didn't sound like a know-it-all and he was worried that our friends would think that he was "forcing" me to try to have a natural birth. And he made clear to me that if, at any time, I changed my mind about what we've been discussing that he was perfectly okay with that and he wanted me to tell him right away. I really love that man.
So anyway, while I realize that sometimes things happen during birth or pregnancy that are out of our control, and that you end up needing a c-section, in my little dream world, I would like to try to do it naturally, preferably with a midwife, but I'm still trying to research my options more on that. I thought this article was interesting and kind of sums up why I'd like to attempt a natural childbirth, even though I've had quite a few people tell me I'm nuts for wanting to try. =)
Epidural or Drug-Free Birth? By Jennifer L.W. Fink and Marisa Cohen
Should you get an epidural or go drug free? To help you decide, read the story of two very different deliveries. Going Au Naturel Story of Jennifer L.W. Fink
Early in their pregnancy, my brother and sister-in-law announced their birth plan. My sister-in-law summed it up for me with one word: "Drugs!" My brother shrugged. "She has a low pain tolerance," he said. Before she experienced a single contraction, my brother's wife decided to use pain medication during labor, a choice made by thousands of American couples each day. And why not? With childbirth widely acknowledged as one of the most intensely painful experiences known to humankind, why would someone choose to give birth without drugs? How about because it's more comfortable! As counterintuitive as it sounds, my drug-free third labor was far more comfortable -- and empowering -- than my epidural-assisted first labor, or my narcotics-assisted second birth. Natural childbirth is definitely not common in our society. C-sections, inductions, and epidurals are closer to the norm today, and many women consider any labor that ends in a vaginal delivery "natural childbirth." The idea of a woman laboring undisturbed, without drugs, seems almost quaint -- if not downright backward -- to a lot of women. My first birth was fairly typical. I spent most of my labor just wanting it to be over. It hurt. I wanted the pain to stop. I certainly didn't want it to get worse. When my doctor suggested breaking my water 12 hours into my labor to "get things going," I agreed. Anything to speed it up!
Learning a Lesson
Although I'm a registered nurse, I didn't realize then how much one intervention would affect the course of my entire labor. But I knew that breaking my water would make my contractions more intense, so I insisted on an epidural. The cascade of interventions had begun. Soon I had an external fetal monitor around my middle, an epidural in my back, an IV in my left arm, and a blood pressure cuff around my right arm. When the doctor determined that a full bladder was blocking the baby's descent, they inserted a catheter. And when my baby's heart rate dropped while I was pushing, they strapped an oxygen mask to my face and used forceps to pull my son into the world. My back ached for days at the epidural insertion site, my hand was sore from the IV, and I couldn't sit normally for weeks. I didn't feel like myself for almost a month. Later, I couldn't help but wonder, What if I'd never let the doctor break my water or had the epidural? I started to read books such as The Birth Book by Dr. Sears, and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. What I learned made sense to me: When you work with your body instead of fighting it, labor is marvelously efficient. I learned that each intervention has side effects, often leading to more interventions, a fact supported by my own experience. Deciding Against an Epidural For my second labor, I decided to surrender to my contractions instead of fighting them. Still, when I arrived at the hospital, I began to doubt my ability to give birth. I considered an epidural. We tried a small dose of IV Nubain instead. The drug made me feel sleepy. I found the hot tub a much more effective form of pain relief. I felt less pain than during my first birth, and while some might say it's because subsequent labors are shorter and therefore less painful, I think the tub played the bigger role. My nurse-midwife monitored me while I labored in the tub, and when I felt the urge to push, she helped me out onto the bed. Five minutes later, our second son was born -- pink, healthy, and happy. I felt 100 percent better than I did after my first birth. Seconds, not weeks, after delivery, I felt like myself again. Later, I wondered if the Nubain had really been necessary. I realized that in my helpless moment I'd simply wanted someone to do something; maybe I'd needed reassurance more than drugs. For my third labor, I relied on the support of my midwives and the wisdom of my own body. While my labor was intense, I wouldn't describe it as painful. I spent each contraction relaxing, allowing my body to do its necessary work. Our third son was born shortly after midnight in a peaceful, powerful water birth. The feeling of triumph I experienced was tremendous. Through my own labor, I brought my son into the world. I gained an appreciation for my body and a sense of personal confidence that persists to this day. I know that deep within me I have the capacity and strength to deal with anything. That's a gift no drug can give.
Reprinted by permission of Seal Press, http://www.sealpress.com./ All rights reserved.
So anyway, while I realize that sometimes things happen during birth or pregnancy that are out of our control, and that you end up needing a c-section, in my little dream world, I would like to try to do it naturally, preferably with a midwife, but I'm still trying to research my options more on that. I thought this article was interesting and kind of sums up why I'd like to attempt a natural childbirth, even though I've had quite a few people tell me I'm nuts for wanting to try. =)
Epidural or Drug-Free Birth? By Jennifer L.W. Fink and Marisa Cohen
Should you get an epidural or go drug free? To help you decide, read the story of two very different deliveries. Going Au Naturel Story of Jennifer L.W. Fink
Early in their pregnancy, my brother and sister-in-law announced their birth plan. My sister-in-law summed it up for me with one word: "Drugs!" My brother shrugged. "She has a low pain tolerance," he said. Before she experienced a single contraction, my brother's wife decided to use pain medication during labor, a choice made by thousands of American couples each day. And why not? With childbirth widely acknowledged as one of the most intensely painful experiences known to humankind, why would someone choose to give birth without drugs? How about because it's more comfortable! As counterintuitive as it sounds, my drug-free third labor was far more comfortable -- and empowering -- than my epidural-assisted first labor, or my narcotics-assisted second birth. Natural childbirth is definitely not common in our society. C-sections, inductions, and epidurals are closer to the norm today, and many women consider any labor that ends in a vaginal delivery "natural childbirth." The idea of a woman laboring undisturbed, without drugs, seems almost quaint -- if not downright backward -- to a lot of women. My first birth was fairly typical. I spent most of my labor just wanting it to be over. It hurt. I wanted the pain to stop. I certainly didn't want it to get worse. When my doctor suggested breaking my water 12 hours into my labor to "get things going," I agreed. Anything to speed it up!
Learning a Lesson
Although I'm a registered nurse, I didn't realize then how much one intervention would affect the course of my entire labor. But I knew that breaking my water would make my contractions more intense, so I insisted on an epidural. The cascade of interventions had begun. Soon I had an external fetal monitor around my middle, an epidural in my back, an IV in my left arm, and a blood pressure cuff around my right arm. When the doctor determined that a full bladder was blocking the baby's descent, they inserted a catheter. And when my baby's heart rate dropped while I was pushing, they strapped an oxygen mask to my face and used forceps to pull my son into the world. My back ached for days at the epidural insertion site, my hand was sore from the IV, and I couldn't sit normally for weeks. I didn't feel like myself for almost a month. Later, I couldn't help but wonder, What if I'd never let the doctor break my water or had the epidural? I started to read books such as The Birth Book by Dr. Sears, and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. What I learned made sense to me: When you work with your body instead of fighting it, labor is marvelously efficient. I learned that each intervention has side effects, often leading to more interventions, a fact supported by my own experience. Deciding Against an Epidural For my second labor, I decided to surrender to my contractions instead of fighting them. Still, when I arrived at the hospital, I began to doubt my ability to give birth. I considered an epidural. We tried a small dose of IV Nubain instead. The drug made me feel sleepy. I found the hot tub a much more effective form of pain relief. I felt less pain than during my first birth, and while some might say it's because subsequent labors are shorter and therefore less painful, I think the tub played the bigger role. My nurse-midwife monitored me while I labored in the tub, and when I felt the urge to push, she helped me out onto the bed. Five minutes later, our second son was born -- pink, healthy, and happy. I felt 100 percent better than I did after my first birth. Seconds, not weeks, after delivery, I felt like myself again. Later, I wondered if the Nubain had really been necessary. I realized that in my helpless moment I'd simply wanted someone to do something; maybe I'd needed reassurance more than drugs. For my third labor, I relied on the support of my midwives and the wisdom of my own body. While my labor was intense, I wouldn't describe it as painful. I spent each contraction relaxing, allowing my body to do its necessary work. Our third son was born shortly after midnight in a peaceful, powerful water birth. The feeling of triumph I experienced was tremendous. Through my own labor, I brought my son into the world. I gained an appreciation for my body and a sense of personal confidence that persists to this day. I know that deep within me I have the capacity and strength to deal with anything. That's a gift no drug can give.
Reprinted by permission of Seal Press, http://www.sealpress.com./ All rights reserved.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Is it May yet??
Yesterday I went to lunch with my friend, Jessica. Since she had gotten a sewing machine for Christmas, we wanted to go to Hobby Lobby after lunch to check out fabric and patterns. The Hobby Lobby here is in the same plaza as Ross. (For those of you from up north, Ross is a small department store that has things on sale for really cheap! Kind of like a big garage sale, except everything is new and most of it is at least 50% off of the original prices.) Anyway, I wanted to go to Ross to get Mark a new French Press since I broke the one I got him for his birthday while I was washing it. (Oops.) While I was there I decided to take a quick look at the baby clothes... which was a mistake. I should have known better.... I only looked through one side of one rack and had already picked out 5 things so I decided to stop there. It made me SOO excited though, to have this baby girl. One of the main reasons I wanted a little girl is to be able to dress her up in cute little dresses and stuff. As soon as I left Ross I drove to base to show Mark what I had gotten for our baby. I'm not sure he was quite as excited as I was, but he thought they were really cute too. When I got home I dug out all the other stuff we've gotten for her and took pictures of it so I could share them with you. I didn't take pictures of the stroller we have (see posts at the end of November for pictures of that) and I didn't take pictures of the pack n play and high chair his parents bought us bc they're still in the boxes and I want them to be moved in the boxes. I have a feeling if we weren't moving in two and a half months I would be majorly "nesting" right now. Here's what we have for our blueberry so far! (To see them up closer, you can click in the pictures and it should open up the picture in a bigger window.)
My cousin, Megan, sent us these. They're TINY! So cute!
This blanket is the first thing Mark and I bought after we found out we were pregnant. It's SOO soft!
The bear is from my parents, along with the John Deere hat, the tiny boots are from my friend Gail, and the blankets are from my Grandma.
We got all of this stuff in a bag when we attended a baby class on base back in November. They also gave us crib sheets and more burp towels but I didn't take pictures of those.
I think my sister got this for us, or my parents did. I can't remember who.
My mom got us this little outfit. It's SUPER soft. And she also got us a silver feeding spoon.
I can't believe she'll be this small! These are 0-3 mos size.
These ones are a little bigger - 3-6 mos size.
I thought this was just adorable! And it was $2.99!
This is also 3-6 mos sized. I'll have to get her a little bonnet to wear with it, to protect her from the AZ sun!
This one is my favorite so far. It's ADORABLE, and it's newborn sized! I figure it'll be perfect for keeping her cool when it's 120 degrees outside in June in AZ.
My cousin, Megan, sent us these. They're TINY! So cute!
This blanket is the first thing Mark and I bought after we found out we were pregnant. It's SOO soft!
The bear is from my parents, along with the John Deere hat, the tiny boots are from my friend Gail, and the blankets are from my Grandma.
We got all of this stuff in a bag when we attended a baby class on base back in November. They also gave us crib sheets and more burp towels but I didn't take pictures of those.
I think my sister got this for us, or my parents did. I can't remember who.
My mom got us this little outfit. It's SUPER soft. And she also got us a silver feeding spoon.
I can't believe she'll be this small! These are 0-3 mos size.
These ones are a little bigger - 3-6 mos size.
I thought this was just adorable! And it was $2.99!
This is also 3-6 mos sized. I'll have to get her a little bonnet to wear with it, to protect her from the AZ sun!
This one is my favorite so far. It's ADORABLE, and it's newborn sized! I figure it'll be perfect for keeping her cool when it's 120 degrees outside in June in AZ.I'm proud of myself for actually stopping at those 5 things. I can't wait to take Mark back though and have him look at all the stuff too. My mom keeps telling me to not buy a bunch of clothes until after our baby shower, but I can't help it. The stuff is just too darn cute!! I've been trying to buy things that will be for when she's a little older though, or bigger I guess, since sometimes they're in 3-6 mos clothes shortly after they're born, so I've heard. Anyway, I'm getting REALLY excited to have this baby, and I just wanted to share my purchases!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The halfway point.
I think I'm almost officially out of my funk. I was in a much better mood today, but now, for some reason I can barely keep my eyes open... And it's only 7:40pm... And I took a nap this afternoon. I don't know what my deal is but oh well.
Today is the halfway mark for us with this pregnancy. I can't believe it's already half over! The first trimester just seemed to drag on, but the first half of the second trimester has seemed to fly by. I still, for the most part, feel great! I have a few more aches and pains than normal, but nothing to really write home about. I still absolutely love being pregnant and I'm excited to see what the future holds for us. Mark and I opted out of testing for downs and other genetic diseases. I might have considered it some if Mark had wanted to, but he didn't really have any interest in me getting tested, so we just opted out. Hopefully we'll be pleasantly surprised when all is said and done.
We took a breastfeeding class last night. It was really, really interesting. I will be absolutely devastated if I cannot breastfeed. Since I have no intentions of working outside the home after this baby is born, I feel like my job will be caring for the baby, and a huge part of that, for me, is breastfeeding. I realize that BFing is a personal choice, and not everyone is as gung-ho about it as I am, and if other people don't want to or didn't, then I have nothing against that. But for me personally, I will feel like a complete failure if I can't. My mom didn't produce any milk at all, which is why I'm pretty worried that I won't be able to either. Hopefully I will though. The lactation consultant who taught the class said that if you BF your baby for a year, you'll save about $2000. That alone would be enough incentive for me to try, although there are many reasons I would like to breastfeed. We learned all about what happens to the baby the first few hours after she's born, and what they look for and test for, etc. It kind of stinks that we won't be delivering at the hospital we're taking the class at, but what can you do? Next week we're taking a class on infant care and then the next week we're taking a class on infant CPR. In between those we're taking a birthing class, which I think will explain all the different birthing methods to us. We're taking these a little early, but Mark wanted to go to them also, and since he starts IFF at the end of Jan and won't be available to take classes at night, we decided to take them now while we both had the time.
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have spent lots of time emailing me with ideas and suggestions and personal experiences of your births. I truly feel blessed to have so many knowledgeable people in my life to help me figure out all my options. You guys are amazing! And I promise I'll get back to all of you - I'm still "digesting" everything you've all thrown at me! =)
Here are a few pictures for you.
20 weeks pregnant!
Watching me cook.
The rooser
I LOOOVVEEE when Mark has a go-tee. Unfortunately he usually can't have it bc of Air Force regs, but he grows it for me when he doesn't have to go to work. He's hot!!Sunday, January 4, 2009
Goals for 2009
I've been thinking a lot about what I would like to change/ accomplish in 2009 lately. Here's what I've come up with so far.
*To be more frugal. Not to the extent that my mom takes it (reusing plastic baggies multiple times by washing them out), but just finding more ways to make our money stretch a little further. This will be especially important since I'll stop working at the end of March and be staying home with our baby.
*To be more content with my weight. I get so caught up in the actual number of my weight, and I get really negative about how I look sometimes. I need to find things I like about myself, instead of focusing so much on everything I don't like.
*To exercise more. I hate working out with a passion. I hate going to the gym. Running is a form of torture to me. I like to swim and bike, but I'm not sure how I'll do that after we have the baby. I need to focus on being healthy though, and improving my stamina and fitness level.
*To always have my house "guest ready". I am the queen of clutter. If I could just take time every night before I go to bed, to make sure things are picked up and the dishes are done, I'd probably have less stress.
*To focus on the "now" instead of the what if's of the future. I'm notorious for this... I spend a lot of time thinking about the future, and "thinking" about the future is fine, but I tend to "worry" about the future. I'm already worried about how we're going to get us, the blueberry and 2 dogs home for Christmas next year... I worry about Mark deploying, and that's a good year and a half away, AT LEAST. I'd be a lot less stressed if I didn't worry about the future so much.
*To be better about keeping in touch with friends and family. For some reason, I haven't been much of a "phone" person for the past year. I don't really know why, I just haven't enjoyed talking on the phone like I did in HS. But when you live so far away from most of your friends and family, sometimes the phone is the best way to keep in touch. (My preferred method of correspondence is email.)
*To not watch so much TV. I've gotten into the horrible habit of coming home from work (around 1 or 2pm), eating lunch, and then sitting on the couch until I go to bed pretty much. It's terrible. I mean, I clean and do laundry and that stuff. And when I am on the couch, I'm usually online also, or knitting, or writing letters, which is okay, I guess. But I should cut my online time down too. That's hard since I feel like the internet is my "portal to the outside world" right now, and how I keep in touch with many people. Mark and I have our shows that we like to watch, so if I could keep the TV off until those shows come on at night, that would be better.
*To read more. I've been reading the same Steve Berry book for about 3 months now. It's not that I don't like it, because I do. It's a great book. But I only read it when I have the intentions of falling asleep - before bed, or when I lay down to take a nap. I need to dedicate some of my after work TV time to doing more reading.
*To play the piano more. I'm a definite snob when it comes to the piano since my parents spoiled me with a baby grand when I was 16 (and had been playing the piano for 11 years). Now pretty much every piano pales in comparison to the one waiting for me at my parents house. The digital piano we bought is very nice, but it's nothing compared to my baby grand. You just can get the same emotion and feeling from a digital piano than you can from any decent string piano. However, my baby grand is in IL, and I am in Oklahoma, so I need to make due with what we have. Plus, the blueberry can hear now, so I like playing the piano for her. (And Mark likes it when I play for him too.)
*To find more recipes to try to cook/bake. I kind of get in to a rut when it comes to cooking. I would like to find more recipes to try out, and go outside of the "norm" for Mark and I. I make monthly menus to try to avoid eating the same thing 4 times a month, so that's a start. But I find myself just repeating the monthly menu in a different order the next month. I'd like to be more adventurous in my cooking, especially since come April, I'll be home all day.
That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll have more to add to the list soon.
*To be more frugal. Not to the extent that my mom takes it (reusing plastic baggies multiple times by washing them out), but just finding more ways to make our money stretch a little further. This will be especially important since I'll stop working at the end of March and be staying home with our baby.
*To be more content with my weight. I get so caught up in the actual number of my weight, and I get really negative about how I look sometimes. I need to find things I like about myself, instead of focusing so much on everything I don't like.
*To exercise more. I hate working out with a passion. I hate going to the gym. Running is a form of torture to me. I like to swim and bike, but I'm not sure how I'll do that after we have the baby. I need to focus on being healthy though, and improving my stamina and fitness level.
*To always have my house "guest ready". I am the queen of clutter. If I could just take time every night before I go to bed, to make sure things are picked up and the dishes are done, I'd probably have less stress.
*To focus on the "now" instead of the what if's of the future. I'm notorious for this... I spend a lot of time thinking about the future, and "thinking" about the future is fine, but I tend to "worry" about the future. I'm already worried about how we're going to get us, the blueberry and 2 dogs home for Christmas next year... I worry about Mark deploying, and that's a good year and a half away, AT LEAST. I'd be a lot less stressed if I didn't worry about the future so much.
*To be better about keeping in touch with friends and family. For some reason, I haven't been much of a "phone" person for the past year. I don't really know why, I just haven't enjoyed talking on the phone like I did in HS. But when you live so far away from most of your friends and family, sometimes the phone is the best way to keep in touch. (My preferred method of correspondence is email.)
*To not watch so much TV. I've gotten into the horrible habit of coming home from work (around 1 or 2pm), eating lunch, and then sitting on the couch until I go to bed pretty much. It's terrible. I mean, I clean and do laundry and that stuff. And when I am on the couch, I'm usually online also, or knitting, or writing letters, which is okay, I guess. But I should cut my online time down too. That's hard since I feel like the internet is my "portal to the outside world" right now, and how I keep in touch with many people. Mark and I have our shows that we like to watch, so if I could keep the TV off until those shows come on at night, that would be better.
*To read more. I've been reading the same Steve Berry book for about 3 months now. It's not that I don't like it, because I do. It's a great book. But I only read it when I have the intentions of falling asleep - before bed, or when I lay down to take a nap. I need to dedicate some of my after work TV time to doing more reading.
*To play the piano more. I'm a definite snob when it comes to the piano since my parents spoiled me with a baby grand when I was 16 (and had been playing the piano for 11 years). Now pretty much every piano pales in comparison to the one waiting for me at my parents house. The digital piano we bought is very nice, but it's nothing compared to my baby grand. You just can get the same emotion and feeling from a digital piano than you can from any decent string piano. However, my baby grand is in IL, and I am in Oklahoma, so I need to make due with what we have. Plus, the blueberry can hear now, so I like playing the piano for her. (And Mark likes it when I play for him too.)
*To find more recipes to try to cook/bake. I kind of get in to a rut when it comes to cooking. I would like to find more recipes to try out, and go outside of the "norm" for Mark and I. I make monthly menus to try to avoid eating the same thing 4 times a month, so that's a start. But I find myself just repeating the monthly menu in a different order the next month. I'd like to be more adventurous in my cooking, especially since come April, I'll be home all day.
That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll have more to add to the list soon.
This cracks me up!
I was watching tv last night and this commercial came on. *Click here* (Then on the right hand side of that page, under Television, click on where it says cheerleader.) I cracked up! A little while later Mark was in the room and it came on again, and he thought it was hilarious too. I don't know if it's because I can TOTALLY see this being Mark and our little girl in a few years or what, but I thought it was worth sharing. I wish there were more dad's like this. The world would be a much better place.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The business of being born
So you know what I'm talking about, please go here and watch this trailer first.
As I've said before, one of the ONLY reasons I would want to stay in OK a little longer is because of our OB here, Dr. Ferguson. Mark and I both have a really good relationship with him. We enjoy our visits with him, and more importantly, we trust him. The more I think about it, the more nervous I get about switching doctors that late in our pregnancy. What if I get to AZ and we don't like or mesh with our new doctor? By that time I'll be 34+ weeks along... that doesn't give us much time to find a new doctor.
Mark and I just ordered the movie, The Business of Being Born. I'd heard about it on one of my military spouse websites, and thought it sounded interesting. I would like to try to have this baby as naturally as possible. I do NOT want an epidural, at all. The thought of a needle being in my spine terrifies me. Part of me wants to experience all of it naturally, no matter how painful, but part of me isn't opposed to IV drugs either. I've just recently started considering IV drugs, so I have a BUNCH more research to do on them. My main concern about them is that most, if not all, of them are narcotic, and I don't want them going in to the baby. I have a lot of research do to. I just ordered some books, so hopefully they'll help out. Mark and I don't want to be pushed into me being induced, or even worse, having to have a c-section. I fully understand that sometimes these things are unavoidable, but how do you tell if the dr is doing it for his/her own convenience or because it truly is needed for the health/ well-being of the baby? Especially if your doctor has only been your doctor for a month or two... I'm planning on going to talk to a lady on base about our options when we get to AZ sometime this month. I don't know much about Tricare's (military insurance) coverage for midwives, but if I could have a midwife in AZ, I would probably choose that first. I would love to have a room with a hot tub in it, not to necessarily give birth in, but just to help relax if I don't have meds in me. I've heard stories of people having to share recovery rooms for a few days after they give birth, and their husbands not being allowed to stay past visiting hours and such. I can guarantee if they try to tell my husband to leave it's not going to be pretty. Hopefully I'll have my own room and I won't have to worry about it anyway. It will be nice to know where I'm delivering so I can start to research their policies and procedures when it comes to giving birth.
We have so much to look forward to, but I feel like I have a lot to do and learn in a short period of time. Luckily, Mark and I are really on the same page with all of this, and he knows that he could have to be our (us and the baby's) advocate and speak up about what we want, so he's preparing for that too. Luckily also, he's helping me out with the research too, which is really nice since we just share with each other what we learn or read about. We're so excited, but there's so much to think about! I'm also considering looking into cloth diapers more (thanks to you Liz!). Hopefully I'll have time to figure all this stuff out! If you have any suggestions, let me know!
As I've said before, one of the ONLY reasons I would want to stay in OK a little longer is because of our OB here, Dr. Ferguson. Mark and I both have a really good relationship with him. We enjoy our visits with him, and more importantly, we trust him. The more I think about it, the more nervous I get about switching doctors that late in our pregnancy. What if I get to AZ and we don't like or mesh with our new doctor? By that time I'll be 34+ weeks along... that doesn't give us much time to find a new doctor.
Mark and I just ordered the movie, The Business of Being Born. I'd heard about it on one of my military spouse websites, and thought it sounded interesting. I would like to try to have this baby as naturally as possible. I do NOT want an epidural, at all. The thought of a needle being in my spine terrifies me. Part of me wants to experience all of it naturally, no matter how painful, but part of me isn't opposed to IV drugs either. I've just recently started considering IV drugs, so I have a BUNCH more research to do on them. My main concern about them is that most, if not all, of them are narcotic, and I don't want them going in to the baby. I have a lot of research do to. I just ordered some books, so hopefully they'll help out. Mark and I don't want to be pushed into me being induced, or even worse, having to have a c-section. I fully understand that sometimes these things are unavoidable, but how do you tell if the dr is doing it for his/her own convenience or because it truly is needed for the health/ well-being of the baby? Especially if your doctor has only been your doctor for a month or two... I'm planning on going to talk to a lady on base about our options when we get to AZ sometime this month. I don't know much about Tricare's (military insurance) coverage for midwives, but if I could have a midwife in AZ, I would probably choose that first. I would love to have a room with a hot tub in it, not to necessarily give birth in, but just to help relax if I don't have meds in me. I've heard stories of people having to share recovery rooms for a few days after they give birth, and their husbands not being allowed to stay past visiting hours and such. I can guarantee if they try to tell my husband to leave it's not going to be pretty. Hopefully I'll have my own room and I won't have to worry about it anyway. It will be nice to know where I'm delivering so I can start to research their policies and procedures when it comes to giving birth.
We have so much to look forward to, but I feel like I have a lot to do and learn in a short period of time. Luckily, Mark and I are really on the same page with all of this, and he knows that he could have to be our (us and the baby's) advocate and speak up about what we want, so he's preparing for that too. Luckily also, he's helping me out with the research too, which is really nice since we just share with each other what we learn or read about. We're so excited, but there's so much to think about! I'm also considering looking into cloth diapers more (thanks to you Liz!). Hopefully I'll have time to figure all this stuff out! If you have any suggestions, let me know!
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